Palm Oil. in Australia. Executive Summary. Facts, Issues and Challenges. a report by

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1 Palm Oil in Australia Facts, Issues and Challenges Executive Summary a report by

2 Executive summary A growing global population and changing diets, combined with the production effi ciency of the oil palm and the unique properties and versatility of palm oil for both edible and non-edible uses, means that palm oil cultivation, processing and use will continue and likely grow in the decades ahead. Ensuring positive economic and social impacts are realised and environmental impacts are minimised is vital to achieve a palm oil industry that is sustainable for all. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is proving an effective mechanism to engage major stakeholders across the value chain in the pursuit of more sustainable production of palm oil. While it has already achieved certifi cation of more than 10 per cent of current palm oil production, complimentary actions from governments, major buyers, and large processors are also necessary the agenda for sustainable palm oil cannot be left to the RSPO alone. Palm oil s continued use in Australian grocery products and food service, while showing some evidence of declining, remains a contentious issue for Australian consumers and environmental advocacy groups, primarily due to the negative environmental impacts of palm oil cultivation. Many major Australian businesses have already made commitments to convert to using sustainable palm oil, yet signifi cant work remains to fulfi l these commitments. There are also opportunities for the Australian industry to be involved in projects in Indonesia, Malaysia and other palm oil producing countries in the region, given our geographic proximity. This report provides a comprehensive snapshot and analysis of the palm oil sector that will be of use to industry, government and NGO decision makers. An understanding of the nature of the industry and the drivers for palm oil production and consumption will inform more effective solutions and the development of a more sustainable palm oil sector, with benefi ts for all along the value chain. Facts and fi gures Figure 1 highlights the upstream end of the palm oil industry. Together, Malaysia and Indonesia produce over three quarters of the palm oil consumed globally. Although the oil palm is native to Western and Central Africa, production is concentrated in Malaysia and Indonesia given their climate (palm oil will only grow in the humid tropics) and their political stability, which has encouraged a large amount of investment. Smallholders play an important part in production, accounting for up to 41 per cent of oil palm planted in Malaysia. 1 Growth in palm oil production has increased tenfold since 1980, and now stands at around 50 million tonnes per year and projections see 50 per cent further growth by The area occupied by palm oil cultivation has expanded globally by 43 per cent since the 1990s. 3 The major consumers of palm oil include China, the EU-27, Malaysia and Indonesia. According to Figure 2, the latter two countries per capita consumption are the highest in the world. Australia currently imports around 110,000 tonnes of palm oil (approximately 0.2 per cent of global consumption), almost all of which comes from Indonesia and Malaysia. 4 Worldwide, palm oil in food products comprise 80 per cent of current fi nal end while palm oil as feedstock for biofuels accounts for 2 percent of fi nal end use. 5 FIG.01 1 Top 12 palm oil producing countries, PALM OIL IN AUSTRALIA REPORT 1. Rahman et al, USDA, UNEP-GEAS, WWF, n.d. 5. DEFRA, FAO, 2010

3 WORLD AVERAGE 2009/10 Per-capita consumption of FIG.02 palm oil (excluding embedded palm oil) in elected countries compared to world average in Current and future drivers Increased demand for vegetable oils from developing and developed countries has contributed to the large increase in palm oil production. 8 Palm oil has clear advantages, including a competitive price, product fl exibility, limited processing requirements and a greater yield per hectare compared to other vegetable oils. As such, in 2009 palm oil held 34 per cent of the global market, while the market share for soybean oil, rapeseed oil and sunfl ower oil were 27 per cent, 16 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. 9 As with all vegetable oils, palm oil does not contain trans-fats. A shift away from trans-fats has been one of the main drivers cited for the increased consumption of palm oil in developed countries. There exists a variety of challenges for the palm oil industry. Limited land availability, fertiliser costs, sustainability concerns, weather variability (short term and longer term due to climate change) and land availability all threaten to dampen growth. Additionally, while the move away from trans-fats drove demand initially, the high level of saturated fats in palm oil is encouraging a shift towards healthier oils. On global commodity markets, palm oil is increasingly being supported by energy prices as demand for biofuels rises. Biofuels have linked vegetable oil to the energy market, as they are used for feedstock for biofuels. However energy prices are not the only infl uence and other factors will have a greater impact on prices, including short term effects (ie. the weather). The market drivers in Australia are similar to those evident globally. Most of those in the industry needing to move away from trans-fats have already done so. With the need to reduce saturated fats and public concern over unsustainable palm use, some companies have been shifting their oil purchases away from palm oil. Lower prices and product versatility will ensure that palm oil remains in use, however, but there is not likely to be any signifi cant growth in palm oil use in Australia in the decade ahead. Data on Australian imports of palm oil in recent years would support such a hypothesis. 7. Based on data from Development Prospects Group, World Bank, WWF, Teoh, 2010 PALM OIL IN AUSTRALIA 2

4 The impacts of palm oil As a rapidly growing agricultural commodity produced in the tropics, palm oil has a mix of positive and negative impacts across environmental, socioeconomic and nutritional domains. The most signifi cant environmental impact associated with palm oil is deforestation in producer countries, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Although other drivers of deforestation such as rural development, agriculture and industrialisation have played an historic and important role, in recent times palm oil is the main driver for forest losses in these countries (refer to Figure 3). Estimates suggest that between 2005 and 2010, approximately 30 per cent of oil palm expansion in Malaysia and Indonesia occurred at the expense of natural forests, and over the same period, approximately 30 per cent of forest loss was due to conversion to oil palm plantations. 10 Deforestation has a variety of impacts, including forest fi res, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. Destruction and loss of orang-utan habitat as a consequence of expanding cultivation has become the public face of the negative impacts of palm oil. The plight of the orang-utan has led to public engagement on the production and use of palm oil. However, the issues are far more complex, especially when consideration of the socio-economic benefi ts is added to the picture. Palm oil provides opportunities to support economic and social development in some of the poorest areas of the world and many have argued for the positive role palm oil plays in the macroeconomic development of Malaysia and Indonesia. Positive impacts at the micro-economic level are less clear as issues with employment conditions, land and social confl icts (at least in the short to medium term) undermining potential benefi ts to palm oil farmers, workers and communities. From a nutritional and consumer health viewpoint, palm oil, with its lack of trans-fats, is considered to be a good alternative to animal and partially hydrogenated fats. However, with its high concentration of saturated fat, palm oil can lead to increased health risks when compared with other liquid vegetable oils such as canola, soy and olive. While recognising that there are environmental, social and health impacts relating to palm oil use; in the context of a growing population and rising incomes, the use of palm oil with its higher yield per hectre area compared to any other vegetable oil cannot be dismissed. Towards sustainable palm oil Palm oil cultivation, processing and use will continue and is likely to grow in the decades ahead. The challenge now and in the coming years is to meet demand in a sustainable manner by minimising negative environmental impacts and maximising socio-economic development opportunities. One major vehicle for pursuing sustainable palm oil has been the creation of a sustainability standard and certifi cation system, similar to that used in other agricultural commodities. The standard setting and certifi cation body for this system is the RSPO. The RSPO is a not-for-profi t association that brings together stakeholders from fi ve industry sectors, plus social and environmental NGOs. RSPO certifi ed FIG.03 The rapid growth in area harvested for palm oil, Note: Palm trees take several years to grow to harvestable size, so the data lags three or four years behind the data for area planted and even further behind those for area cleared for plantations. 3 PALM OIL IN AUSTRALIA 10. WWF, n.d. 11. RSPO, UCSUSA, 2011

5 palm oil represents about 10 per cent of total global production of palm oil 11, with just over 50 per cent now traded and bought as certifi ed palm oil. Despite its growth, the RSPO has in recent years come under scrutiny. Concerns and challenges have been raised by different stakeholders, including a pro-industry bias, weak criteria, poor monitoring and enforcement, limited demand for sustainable palm oil, and a lack of transparency in the supply chain. Nevertheless, while it is not the only mechanism for bringing together palm oil stakeholders, the RSPO certifi cation has gained credibility and is seen as a benchmark for sustainable palm oil across the globe. In addition to certifi cation schemes, regulatory, economic, technological and consumer awareness raising measures are also necessary for sustainability. This may include introducing land use planning policies to incentivise oil palm plantations on already degraded land. Australian palm oil using companies have been making efforts towards use of sustainable palm oil and most major supply chain actors have made sourcing commitments and set targets for conversion. There are, however, supply chain challenges that need to be overcome. A model for possibly overcoming these challenges is found in the Netherlands, where industry formed the Dutch Task Force for Sustainable Palm Oil. Together, the major palm oil users in the country are working to achieve 100 per cent of palm oil destined for the Dutch market to be RSPO certifi ed. Conclusions and recommendations Realising a sustainable palm oil industry will be a challenge. The RSPO platform, standard and certifi cation scheme is currently the most viable initiative for achieving sustainable palm oil sourcing and use. It has gained acceptance amongst a variety of different stakeholder groups, has done the hard work to certify producers and cover more than 10 per cent of global production. Given the small Australian market for palm oil, it is unlikely that a 100 per cent shift to sustainably sourced palm oil in Australia will in itself have a marked effect on the overall level of sustainability in this global industry. Achieving this would, however, help develop the market for sustainable palm oil, strengthen the RSPO, and help ensure sustainable development in our region, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. The following recommendations are made to advance progress of the Australian industry towards sustainably sourcing palm oil: 1. Encourage companies who import or use palm oil to become members of the RSPO and develop timebound action plans to move to sustainable palm oil supplies. 2. Conduct further research on palm oil fl ows into Australia, its sources, and how they are changing and projected to change. 3. Explore the possibility of sustainable palm oil projects in our region, including the potential of international carbon, forestry and other ecosystem services instruments to accelerate sustainable palm oil production. PALM OIL IN AUSTRALIA REPORT 4

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